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Title: THE OCCURANCE AND DIVERSITY OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE GENES IN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS WITH AND WITHOUT IMPACT FROM ANIMAL AGRICULTURE

Author
item CHEE-SANFORD, JOANNE - USDA/ARS EMPLOYEE
item AMINOV, RUSTAM - UNIV OF ILLINOIS
item MAXWELL, SCOTT - UNIV OF ILLINOIS
item KRAPAC, IVAN - ILLINOIS GEOL SURVEY
item SIMS, GERALD

Submitted to: Microbial Ecology International Symposium
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/5/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture has raised concerns over the increasing emergence of antibiotic resistances in bacteria and whether the genes conferring resistances can be widely disseminated in the environment. The molecular ecology of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment is poorly understood, particularly in regards to the occurrence of these genes in soil and water with and without impact from animal waste. We applied PCR methods to a variety of environmental samples to target a wide range of genes conferring resistances to tetracycline and macrolides, two types of antibiotics commonly used in animal agriculture. A high diversity and occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes were detected in groundwater that was directly impacted from animal waste due to containment seepage. Agricultural soils with known histories of manure addition and soils from swine farms also contained several antibiotic resistance genes. Few or no antibiotic resistance genes were detected in soils with no known manure addition and background water samples. Identical resistance genes were found in soil bacterial isolates and in the waste lagoons. This study demonstrated the impact of agriculture on the diversity and occurrence of resistance genes in the environment.